The Pampas

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We had a day relaxing in Rurrenabaque before we headed to the Pampas.

We had a three hour drive from Rurrenabaque before we met our guide and his boat for the next few days. The boat trip to our cabanas was a few hours and included plenty of time looking for wildlife. We saw playful monkeys, turtles, lots of different birds, and pink dolphins.

The next morning started with searching for Anacondas, we went walking through an area of wetlands keeping an eye out for any snakes. Personally I was walking along hoping I wasn't the one to find any kind of snake. I was lucky enough not to find a snake during our search however our guide did manage to find a cobra which he picked up and then a short time later he found an anaconda. Mission accomplished!

After lunch we had a few hours relaxing in hammocks. Gary used the rope swing and swam next to the cabanas.

In the afternoon we headed out pirhana fishing to try and catch something for dinner. On the way to our fishing spot our guide luckily spotted a Tucan with his bright orange beakbed

Our guide explained that the pirhana come in different colours including red and yellow. I managed to catch two small pirhana (but they were put back) and another fish that we used for bait. Gary also caught a couple of pirhana that were also too small for eating. Luckily there were others in our group and our guide that were able to catch pirhana large enough to eat. We ate the pirahana as a starter with our dinner. There wasn't much meat on them so they definitely wouldn't be my first choice in fish.

Our last day in the Pampas began with a boat ride to see the sunrise, unfortunately it was rather cloudy so wasn't the best, Gary wisely decided to stay in bed.

After breakfast we headed out to find the pink river dolphins to swim with. We found them pretty quickly and spent time swimming, however they weren't very interested in us so kept their distance.

We headed back to the cabanas for an early lunch and were greeted by a 2 meter Alligator sitting under the hammock room by the rope swing. Needless to say Gary didn't use the rope swing again.

After lunch we headed back to Rurrenabaque, we had a great trip on the boat and saw lots more wildlife including groups of turtles sunning themselves on logs. The car ride was an eventful trip and we were all surprised the car made it as the driver was a little crazy and the roads were bogged with mud from all the rain. We past several trucks that were stuck in the mud and others that were struggling.

We had one night in Rurrenabaque before our flight back to La Paz. The airport in Rurrenabaque was very basic - think tin shed, and the runway seemed to be in the middle of nowhere as we were driven down a dirt path and had to stand by the runway while the incoming plane landed. Overall the flight was fine and we had some great views.

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Comments

[Crannster]

In the Jungle
Hi guys. I have been following your blogs on your South American Journey and now into Central America and I've been enjoying them very much, Thanks for sharing. I was wondering which tour guide/company you used in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia on you multi day trip. My wife and I are heading there in March/April next year and hope to visit that part. Dave (and Theresa)

[robyngary]

Pampas Tour Company
Hi, I'm glad you have been enjoying my blog. We booked our tour the day before we headed off. The company we used was Indigena (not sure of the correct spelling). They were a bit more expensive than some of the others but we had a good guide. We were told we would have a private room when we booked but ended up in a dorm with the rest of our group. If you have any other questions let me know.